1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of heat generation. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for generating heat from a chemical reaction.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the world's population grows and modernizes, the demand for electricity also grows. One option is to build more traditional electric power plants. However, power plants that produce electricity typically also produce high levels of pollution. For example, coal, oil, and natural gas plants burn hydrocarbons to produce energy, but also produce large quantities of greenhouse gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen oxides, as well as mercury and sulfur oxides. Additionally, the fuels used in traditional power plants are non-renewable resources that may run out within this century.
An alternative to traditional power plants is nuclear power. Fission reactors generate heat that results from the nuclear fission of uranium, and use that heat to produce steam. The steam is fed into steam turbine that converts the energy stored in the steam into electricity. While nuclear power plants do not produce greenhouse gases, they do produce nuclear waste, which is toxic and takes millennia to degrade. Furthermore, history has shown that accidents at nuclear plants can have disastrous consequences. As such, nuclear plants are preferably located in isolated areas. However, large urban areas usually do not have the space available for such remote energy sources.
Other alternatives to traditional power plants that do not produce greenhouse gases use solar, wind, and wave energy to produce electricity. In addition to being in the early stages of development, a major drawback to these energy sources is that they lack certainty. For example, when the sun is not shining, the wind is not blowing, or the water is not moving, these sources will not produce electricity. Thus, a need remains for a power source that does not produce greenhouse gases, is not disastrously dangerous, is renewable, and has a high degree of certainty.